Wareholder



Dec. 24, 1968 J. G. BRUBAKER WAREHOLDER Filed Oct. 22, 1965 R R E M mA mww K a G. w

United States Patent O 3,418,020 WAREHOLDER John G. Brubaker, ParkForest, Ill., assignor to Brockway Glass Company, Inc., Brockway, Pa.Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 501,537 4 Claims. (Cl. 294-93) ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE A device for lifting and supporting bottles duringmanufacture and treatment thereof, consisting of an elongated brushhaving radiating bristles which are compressed or crushed when insertedin the upper end of a bottle to thereby engage the bottle for liftingpurposes. An openended cylindrical cap is connected to the upper end ofthe brush and fits over the upper end portion of the bottle to centerthe same.

This invention relates to a novel device for supporting and liftingarticles and is particularly -directed to a holding means for liftingopen-month containers, such as glass bottles and jars, during thetransport and handling thereof through the various stages of manufactureand treatment and especially during coating processes usingelectrostatic sprayin g methods.

Heretofore, various gripping devices have been utilized for supportingand moving open-mouth glass containers through the various stages ofhandling following actual formation thereof by internally or externallygripping the containers. These methods have been unsatisfactory. In thecase of the external grip the finish of the container may be scratchedor otherwise marred and where the container is being spray-painted orexternally decorated such external grip becomes unwieldly and gets inthe way of the machines performing the painting or decorating operation.

In the case of the internal grip, while atfording many advantages overthe external grip, it has drawbacks similar to those of the externalgrip in the form of scratching or other vdamage to the internal neckportion of the glass containers. Like the external grip, the internalgrip does not preclnde paint or other decorative material from beingapplied inadvertently to the interior of the container.

Further, and very importantly, when coating a bottle or jar byelectrostatic spraying methods, difliculties have arisen in obtaining acircurnferentially uniform coating around the bottle whilesimultaneously holding the bottle or jar so that the entire surface ofthe body of the jar is coated.

Still further, it is well known that newly manufactured glass isparticularly susceptible to damage by abrasion or scratching of theglass surface and such abrasion or scratches establish weaknesscs whichlead to fracture. Prior bottle or jar gripping and supporting deviceshave not provided sufficient safeguards 'against such abrasion andscratchin-g.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid the aforementioneddefects and difliculties and to provide an article supporting means orwareholder W'hich will carry the article through the processes ofmanufacture subsequent to formation of the article without marring,scratching or chipping the finish of the article while at the same timefaciltating the application of decorative material and the like.

While in no way limited thereto, the present invention is particularlyadaptable to open-month containers having 'a so-called sprinkler finish,that is containers having very narrow diameter neck portions. In suchcases internally engaging wareholders of known forms have not beenadaptable due to the small opening in the finish of the container. 'Iheinvention, while peculiarly adaptable to ICC narrow-month containers, isnot exclusively adapted to such small containers and may be used withlarge-month containers also.

Another object of the present invention is to prevent the outside lipand threads of the finish from being coated by paint or other material.In particular, the present invention, when used in conjunction withelectrostatic sprayiug, provides an insulating and electricallyshielding cap covering the outside lip and threads of the finish, thusdeterring the electrostatic deposition of paint around the neck portionof the bottle or jar.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide holding meansfor the container which centers the container automatically andaccurately with respect to the axis of the holder, thus preventingwobbling of the bottle and off-center displacement thereof as it isbeing rotated for spray painting and facilitating accurate placementthereof by the wareholder, such as in transfer to a conveyor or tomechanisms for inspection, decorating or the like.

Speaking generally, the wareholder of the present invention comprises anelongate central rigid support member having radiating resilientlydeformable bristle-like projections along its length, the supportmembers and the bristle-like projections being of electricallyconductive material. The resilient radiating bristle construction of theholder of the present invention produces a novel bottle holding andcentering result since, even though an inside diameter 'of the neck ofthe bottle may vary along its axis, usually becoming larger toward thebody of the bottle, the resiliently expansive effect of the compressedbristles produces a novel and very effective frictional holding actionagainst the wall of the bottle opening throughout a substantial distancealong the axis of such openin-g.

A still further object of the invention is to allow for easyremovability of the container from the container or article supportmeans.

The present invention provides an electrically conductive path from theglass bottle to ground through the article support means thusfacilitating spray painting of the article using electrostatic sprayingmethods.

With the foregoing objects in mind, representative embodiments of theinvention will be described, although other forms may 'be utilizedwithout departing from the scope of the invention, with particularreference to the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view partly in cross section showing thearticle support means in position to engage a bottle for performing itsholding and centering and electrical contact functions;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view in partly cross section showing thearticle support means engaged in the opening of such bottle; and

FIG. 3 shows a modification of the bristle arrangement of the holdingelement.

Referring now to FIG. l, the article support or wareholder is generallydesignated by reference character 1 and the neck of the container to besupported is denoted by reference numeral 2. The article supportcomprises a threaded pendant support rod 3 having a sleeve 4 threadedthereon. A brush designated generally by the reference numeral 5 isconnected at one end to rod 3 by any suitable means and is threadedthereinto in the present embodiment.

Brush 5 extends downwardly and comprises a shaftlike member 6 havingelastically deforma'ble bristles 7 extending substantially radiallytherefrom.

The bristles may be attached to the holder 6 in any desired manner. Inthe present instance the holder 6 is of twisted Wire with the bristlesheld between the convolutions of the wire. This construction is wellknown in the art of making conventional brushes. While the preferredembodiment provides that the bristles extend radially outwardly from theshaft-like member, it is within the scope of the invention to angle thebristles upwardly or downwardly from the shaft-like 'member in order toprovide a greater or lesser holding force, as may be desired.

The bristles 7, the shaft-like member 6 and the rod 3 are formed fromelectrically conductive materials providing an electrically conductivepath from the container to ground through the machines or conveyormechanisms which are adapted to use the present article supports. Theplurality of electrically conductive brush bristles serves to provide amultiplicity of conductive paths from the inside of the container toground. This is particularly useful in spray painting the containers byelectrostatic methods.

Furthermore, the bristles 7 are spaced radially and uniformly from themember 6, in the preferred emhodiment. The uniformity of the spacing andthe multiplicity of contact points provided by the bristles provide forexcellent contact between the brush and bottle for the deposit of a-uniform electrical charge internally of the finish at all perimetricalportions thereof. This, in turn, provides for a uniform distribution ofthe electric charge internally of the bottle at all circumferentialportions thereof. Such uniform distribution avoids unsymmetrical ornon-uniform application of the paint and provides for a uniform coatingthickness about the outer surface of the bottle.

The brush may take the form of a cylinder as shown in FIG. 2 or may =beconically shaped as shown in FIG. 3. Alternatively, other externalcontours of the bristle surface may be employed to suit variouspurposes. In the cylindrical form of FIG. 2, the bristles collectivelypresent a uniform diameter at each successive cross-section as the'brush enters said neck. In FIG. 3 the bristles present an increasingdiameter as the successive cross sections enter the neck of thecontainer. In FIG. 3, bristles 8 are formed on a shaft-like member 10and increase in length upwardly along the holder 10. The bristles andmember 10 of FIG. 3 are also formed of electrically conductive material.

Threaded to the end of rod 3 is an inverted cup-shaped member 12, whichextends downwardly, surrounding at least a portion of brush 5. The neck2 of the container is receivable within member or cap 12. Cap 12 as wellas sleeve 4 are preferably formed of a lmaterial such as Tefion in orderto withstand temperatures such as are used in finishing ceramicdecorations and in order to provide an insulator surrounding theexternal threads and top of the container. This insulation retards thedeposition of paint in region of the neck of the container duringelectrostatic spraying.

In use, the article support is projected into the neck of the containeras readily seen in FIG. 2, automatically as an incident to machineoperation or manually by placement of a bottle thereon. The neck of thecontainer fits into the cup-shaped member 12. Brush 5 extends internallythrough the neck of the container, 'bending the elastically deformablelbristles as they pass through the neck. Since the 'bristles have alarger diameter than the internal diameter of the neck of the container,the bristles will tend to elastically return to their original shape,thus providing a lifting engagement as they contact and engage under theinternal sides of the neck. The radially 6 outward urge of thecompressed bristles, acting in all directions from the axs of thecontainer, exerts an ideal centering force whereby the container is heldin a coaxial position with respect to the holder.

The cup-shaped member 12 which fits over the neck of the container notonly operates as a guide means tending to center the container andprevent wobble but protects the outside lip and the external threads ofthe neck of the container from being spray painted or otherwise damaged.

It is apparent that the size of the cavity of the cap and the size ofthe brush may be of any suitable size and shape to adapt the inventionto containers of various sizes and shapes. It is to be understood thatvarious modifications in form and construction may be made withoutdeparting from the principles of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a system for lifting and supporting bottles during manufacture andtreatment thereof, in combination:

a bottle having an annular neck provided with external threads, having asubstantially flat, annular upper surface, a predetermined innerdiameter, and a predetermined height,

a Vertical support rod for lifting said bottle,

an inverted cup-shaped member secured to the lower end of said supportrod, said member having a downwardly facing, substantially flat annularsurface seating upon said upper surface of the bottle neck, anddepending skirt of a length substantially equal to said predeterminedheight of the bottle neck and enelosing said neck in close adjacency tosaid external threads thereof whereby to mask said neck and center andalign said bottle with said support rod,

an elongated shaft member secured to said cup-shaped member andprojecting therefrom axially within said skirt, said shaft member beingof smaller diameter than said predetermined inner diameter of said neckand of a length to extend below said skirt,

and bristle members secured along the length of and circumferentially ofsaid shaft member, said bristle members projecting radially from saidshaft member to define a brush-like plug having a diameter greater thansaid predetermined inner diameter of said neck, said bristle membersbeing elastically deformable and grippingly engaging the inner surfaceof said neck in Cooperation with said aligning and centering engagementbetween said cup-shaped member and the bottle neck to support saidbottle when said support rod is lifted.

2. In the system according to claim 1 wherein said brush-like plug is ofcylindrical configuration.

3. A bottle lifter according to claim 1, wherein said brush includingthe associated bristles and shaft-like member are of electricallyconductive material.

4. In the system according to claim 1 wherein said brush-like plug is offrusto-conical configuration.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,662,833 12/1953 Helmuth 118-635X 2,990,834 7/1961 Amen 15-521 X 3,209,388 10/1965 Kambersky 15-5213,314,714 4/1967 Brubaker 294 93 FOREIGN PATENTS 909,734 10/ 1962 GreatBritain.

ROBERT C. RIORDAN, Primary Examz'ner. O JAMES F. McKEOWN, AsssantExaminer.

U.S. Cl. X.R.

